Peso Pluma Faces Cartel Threat Ahead of Tijuana Concert

The Mexican artist, who has penned songs about the drug trade, is due to perform at Estadio Caliente in October

September 13, 2023

Alleged members of a Mexican cartel have threatened Peso Pluma ahead of the Génesis singer’s October 14 concert at Estadio Caliente in Tijuana, The Arizona Republic reports. The death threats were written on banners placed across the city and signed by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. According to the publication’s translation, the cartel wrote: “This goes to Peso Pluma, refrain from presenting yourself on October 14, because it will be your last show due to your disrespect and loose tongue, you show up and we are going to (break you).”

A Tijuana news outlet, Punto Norte, reports that four banners were placed on bridges across the Mexican city and that a 43-year-old man was arrested in possession of one of the banners.

Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for Peso Pluma for comment and more information.

Peso Pluma, who broke through this year with the hit single “Ella Baila Sola,” is among a generation of young artists bringing regional Mexican music to an international audience. While he sings traditional Mexican ballads known as corridos, Pluma also specializes in corridos tumbados (a contemporary, hip-hop-influenced take on the ballad) and narcocorridos, a subgenre about the drug trade and violence that stretches back decades.

In a recent article about the rise of regional Mexican music, Isabelia Herrra wrote:

“Gávilan II,” from Génesis, is a narcocorrido in the purest sense, where Pluma and his guest, Tito Double P, sing from the perspectives of Sinaloa Cartel members. They flaunt their FN SCAR rifles, throw enemies’ bodies into a mass grave, and visit kidnapped adversaries. In the second verse, Pluma and Double P reminisce about the Battle of Culiacán, a failed military operation to capture Ovidio Guzmán López, the son of drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. They recall rising to the challenge to defend the kingpin’s progeny, even referencing the Guzmán family by name.

Other Peso Pluma songs, such as “El Bélicon” and “Siempre Pendientes,” are also considered dedications to the Sinaloa Cartel, and, while he has not claimed to participate, Pluma has said that some musicians are paid by cartel leaders to pen narcocorridos in their favor.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is considered Mexico’s second most powerful drug cartel after the Sinaloa Cartel. In February, Grupo Arriesgado, a narcocorrido band believed to be affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel, faced threats from Jalisco New Generation Cartel ahead of a Tijuana concert that was ultimately canceled.

Peso Pluma, who performed at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards last night, announced his Tijuana concert in July. He has recently postponed concerts in Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin due to “unforeseen circumstances.”